Jon Wahl first noticed that his granddaughter, Noelle Burdick could draw well more than 10 years ago.
Wahl, a 40-year Mountlake Terrace resident, has made a living as an artist and art teacher.
Over the years, Wahl, and Burdick, 17, have worked together on a variety of art projects, some of which are on display through the end of the month at the Mountlake Terrace Library, 23300 58th Ave. W.
“She’s been drawing, quite literally, since she could hold something,” said her mother, Stephanie Russell.
“She’s very receptive and also pretty independent,” said Wahl, who taught print making and lithography at the University of Tulsa, from which he earned a master’s degree.
For the past two years, grandfather and granddaughter have used their time together to explore art. Whether taking long walks along the beach or on nearby streets, they always make sure their little field trips present opportunities for Burdick to learn more about art.
Pencil and paper are Burdick’s preferred media. “If you do that well, you can do anything,” said grandpa.
She loves to draw fanciful characterizations of girls with elfin eyes and wavy hair. At the same time, she has a natural ability to create landscapes and to focus in on details that many people miss, said her grandfather
“I think she’s merging two worlds, the world of imagination and the world of reality,” Wahl said. “She intuitively elicits detail and accents that most of us tend to overlook”
Those field trips have been great opportunities to collect found objects and use them as inspiration for artistic creations, Burdick said.
“It’s given me more to work with; it’s given me ideas,” said.”Wherever it is, what I get from it is inspiration.”
That inspiration led her to win an award at the annual Arts of the Terrace event.
“Her whole life growing up, she has spent hours just on her own, to get perspective,” said her mom. “You’d find reams and reams of paper all over the house where she’s going over stuff.”
Jon’s had teachers who inspire him, too.
At the University of Tulsa, he studied under Alexander Hogue, the late American painter, muralist and print maker known for his depictions of Indians in Taos, N.M., and the Great Depression.
“He taught me how to draw the human figure,” Wahl said.
For a while, he lived in a house designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Art surrounds us, Burdick said. It’s in that really nice tree; the quick glances from friends.
Even, Burdick added, in her chemistry class at Mountlake Terrace High, where mixed chemicals created vibrant colors.
“She couldn’t get off what a gorgeous shade of yellow she’d created; very sensual,” said her mother.
That’s typical of Burdick’s eye for art, said Wahl.
“It’s real satisfying to know there’s someone in the family who can pick up the artistic baton and go with it,” he said.
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